Crisis will impact most Americans - poll
CNN/Opinion Research survey shows most won't take action on stocks, money markets any time soon.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- As Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson advocated his financial sector rescue plan before the Senate Banking committee Tuesday, a poll revealed that most Americans expect to be personally affected by the crisis.
The poll, conducted by CNN/Opinion Research, showed that 32% of American believe the crisis already affects them or their immediate families, and another 58% of Americans believe it will affect them eventually.
Only 9% of the 502 adult Americans polled by CNN/Opinion Research for the question believe the crisis will not ever affect them.
Though most Americans said they expected to take personal financial hits, virtually the same percentage - about 90% - said they planned to take no defensive actions in the next few weeks such as withdrawing money from banks and money market funds, or selling their stocks.
The federal government laid out a $700 billion proposal Saturday to keep the U.S. financial sector from collapsing, which would allow it to buy up bad mortgages and other problem assets from struggling financial institutions.
Officials feared that a banking sector collapse could take down a large chunk of the U.S. economy along with it.
Lawmakers listened to pleas from Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Tuesday to approve the proposal as soon as possible. Congress is scheduled to debate the bill on Wednesday.
The poll showed that 58% of Americans have money invested in stocks as individual holdings, part of a mutual fund or as part of a retirement account, and 36% said they have money invested in a money market fund.
The poll was conducted between Sept. 19 and 21 among 1,020 adult Americans reached by telephone by Opinion Research. Only about half the survey sample was used for the question about feeling the impact. 
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